The Final Showdown
by adolescentwriter
Summary: Here is my take on Season 3 of Scream. So you can expect new characters and storylines and a lot of deaths (sorry in advance) but basically a slow burn emrey fic. This will be a 6-7 chapter fanfiction but knowing me y'all know the updates are going to be slower than the cogs in Donald Trump's brain so please be patient
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I keep dreaming about this for some annoying reason so I figured I might as well write it. Rated M for gore in later chapters. It's a slasher series come on.**

 **Episode 1**

The leaves rustled as the wind blew against them carrying a low murmur of a sing-song voice. Emma treaded over the mud and twigs as she pushed against the branches. Her brain kept screaming not to follow the voice but it was as if her body was acting on its own accord "Daisy…," the voice was coming from all around her; encompassing her in suffocating darkness. The closer she got, the stronger the voice got.

A twig broke beside her and she staggered sideways; her eyes widening with a mixture of fear and adrenaline. "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do." This time the voice came from the other side and she fell on the ground, clawing her way forward.

Suddenly, as if her nervous system had collapsed, Emma paralyzed in her place. Her face rested against the soft mud and for a second there was no sound but the light bellowing of wind and mellow chirping of crickets. "I'm half-crazy all for the love of you." The blood drained from her face as she internally screamed at her body to work. _Not again please not again._ The heavy boots squelched on the wet ground in front of her.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle. The leaves started to break underneath the heavy footsteps.

The sound burst through her ears and echoed within the walls of her brain. And just like that it stopped and the invisible force holding her body down was gone. She lifted her head and looked around. Nothing but the dark sky and thick green leaves. _Maybe it was just a bad dream…_ She thought. She slowly turned over and out of the darkness, the blur of a white mask and black cape pounced on her.

The scream ensued from her lips before she could stop and she felt strong arms around her, holding her tightly. She tried to pull away from them like they were the ones she was running from. _It's Kieran he's come to finish me off. He's here! He's here! He's here!"_ The voices in her head got stronger as she screamed and screamed.

"It was just a dream, Emma. Just a dream." The soft voice broke her out of the fiction and she realized how springy the ground was now and how still the air was. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the blue wall of her bedroom.

"Hey. Hey Emma," a hand brushed against her forehead and she fell into the warmth of it. Audrey's arms were around her, grounding her to reality. "It's okay. You're safe, Emma, you're safe. I'm here." The smaller girl pulled Emma down onto her shoulder and Emma drew closer, letting her face rest in the crook of Audrey's neck. She wanted to thank her for being there. For always holding her when she was breaking down. For being the only sane thing in her life right now. But all she could manage was a hoarse gasp. Her throat was so coarse that she tasted blood. It sickened her.

The water bottle was pressed against her lips before she could ask for it and Emma let the cool liquid trickle down her throat. Audrey gently tugged her back while keeping her arms firmly around her and just like that the two girls drifted off to sleep. With Audrey's arms draped around her and her head resting on her arm. As they have done for the past year. Sometimes it was Audrey that woke screaming and sometimes it was Emma but they always found security in each other's arms.

"Good Morning Lakewood! Welcome to another episode of the Morgue." Noah's voice bubbled through the Emma's earphones as she trudged down the sidewalk, two blocks away from the coffee shop where she worked. The regular podcasts had stopped three months after Kieran was revealed as the murderer, with everyone trying their best to move forward. But Noah would do a broadcast on the days of the death anniversaries of the ones they had lost. It was Will's death anniversary today.

"Today we honour someone who was special to all of us. Will Belmont was a good friend and a hero. At the start, I knew him as Emma's douche-y boyfriend." A soft chuckle followed. "But he was an incredibly honest and brave person. Will threw himself forward to protect the people he loved…and even the ones he didn't. He tried to save Piper Shaw without caring for his own welfare… If he had known she was the murderer then maybe he would have run that day and…Kieran wouldn't have….." The voice broke slightly and Emma felt bile rising in her throat as images of Will's half split body flashed before her eyes.

"Well that's all in the past now and as much as we would want to change it, there is nothing we can do except honour the ones who have left us. They are the reason we stand here today. If Will hadn't elected to hold the door while he was injured and keep the killer at bay to give me a running chance that day, maybe I…I would be dead right now. Let's all take a moment of silence to remember Will Belmont, ladies and gentlemen." Emma closed her eyes and reminisced the feeling of Will's laughter and the light touch of his lips. She pulled out the earphones unable to hear more of it. She still blamed herself for his murder; maybe if she hadn't left him and gotten with Kieran things would be different. If she hadn't run and seen the tripwire. If she would have called his mother to see if it was really her that pulled up in his driveway. If… Her eyes stung with wetness and she quickly wiped at them. She can't show the world how broken she really was. Only Audrey. Audrey was enough.

Her footsteps were unusually loud and that's when it dawned on her that the street was strangely empty. She looked around and saw nothing but empty shops and parked cars. Granted it was only six in the morning but the streets usually had a jogger or two passing by and shopkeepers raising their shutters. Right now it seemed as if the town folk had abandoned their homes and gone to much saner place.

Feeling queasy, she began to hurry towards her workplace. Just before she could turn the corner however, it came. Her darkest nightmare in the flesh. _No...No…not again please…_ Her brain started screaming. She didn't want to run anymore. So she just stood there, frozen, waiting for the inevitable crunch of the blade piercing her heart. She closed her eyes but even then the sharp outline of the mask, the hollowed out eyes and the wide mouth were vividly before her.

Thwack.

She braced herself for impact but it never came. Instead she heard a whimper and loud cursing. "Ugggh what gives man?!" She opened her eyes at the sound and was greeted by someone's back to her. The person was holding a large baseball bat in a rather menacing position.

"You think it's fucking funny to dress up as a serial killer and terrorize someone?" The feminine voice was demanding and laced with hatred at the person before her. Emma lowered her gaze and saw a classmate, Max from her Sociology class she thought, with the mask pulled back and clutching the side of his jaw where the bat must have struck him.

"It was a prank, you stupid bitch." He groaned and rubbed his jaw where a sharp welt was taking place.

"Oh," the girl laughed sarcastically, her back was still towards Emma who was now staring at how short her hair was cut. "Aren't you the Sam Pepper 2.0?" She snorted. "People you knew were killed by this psychopath and you think it would make a funny prank?" She stepped closer as the boy backed away slowly. "Why don't you piss off before I shove this bat somewhere the sun doesn't shine and pull it out of that mouth of yours," she said, holding the bat in his direction, threateningly as he scrambled up and ran away. Emma watched the cape flow as he ran and for a minute she was transported back into her dream this time the cap was flowing towards her. Closer and closer and closer.

"You ok there?" She snapped back and focused on the face in front of her. The girl was slightly taller than her; her face was thrown into concerned folds and her eyebrow was raised behind the slightly oversized spectacles she wore. Her hair was longer from the front and fell across the sides of her face in almost the same way Kieran's did. Kieran. Emma shook her head to push the though away and met the girl's warm brown eyes.

"Thank you for doing that. I sort of spaced out, bad memories and everything." She said with a gracious smile

"Don't mention it." The girl nodded, "People can be really insensitive assholes sometimes." She snarled a little too darkly for someone who hadn't been a victim of horrible pranks herself. Emma pondered but let it slip. She knew more than anyone not be too intrusive in other people's lives.

"Yeah, that's Lakewood for you. Assholes, deranged psychopaths and PTSD victims." She chuckled trying to brush of the actual seriousness of her words.

"I'm sorry," the girl didn't miss it, "I can only imagine how awful it must have been for you to go through all of that." She placed a reassuring hand on Emma's shoulder and when the blonde girl flinched slightly she quickly drew it back. An awkward silence broke over them but Emma broke it.

"I haven't seen you here before." She said, more as a statement than a question.

"I just moved here from Boston to live with my uncle." She shrugged. Emma wanted to ask why but she didn't. The more she knew people, the worse it got for them. This person had saved her in some aspects and the best thing she could do was spare her the horror that was Emma Duval.

"Oh." The green eyes momentarily met the brown ones before she extended her hand and gave her the warmest smile she could muster. "Once again, thank you so much. I'm Emma."

"I know. Saw your face in the newspaper." The taller girl looked down at her hand, a slight look of confusion spreading across her features before she took it, unsure of what to do. "Uhhh..." she swung their hands from side to side and Emma burst out laughing.

"You've never shaken somebody's hand before?" She inquired, her voice laced with laughter.

"Not…really…" A slight red blush crept across the girl's face which made Emma laugh more.

"Boston must be really weird." She laughed and shook their hands up and down. "See? That's how you shake hands here in Lakewood."

"Oh," the brown-eyed girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly and nodded. "I'm Cattleya." She enunciated her name in a Spanish dialect. Emma noted but didn't say anything, instead she responded by thanking her once again.

"I should go now, got a job and everything." The green-eyed girl smiled politely and stepped towards the side. "It was nice meeting you."

"Uh you should take this," the girl surprised her by holding the bat in her direction. "In case some other asshats think it is funny to prank you."

"Oh it's yours I-"

"Don't worry about it. My sister has a huge collection of these. She won't miss one." A small smile finally etched across her face as she spoke of her. "Besides, you can give it back to me when you see me next time."

Emma nodded and bid her farewell before heading off to her workplace.

The school hallway was bustling with sounds of laughter and loud chattering as if nothing had happened. Like this hallway was not stained with the blood of those that had been lost. Riley. Eli. Jake. Zoe. Will. She heard Jake's boyish laughter and Brooke's annoyed sigh and Riley's fangirling and Will's soft whispers in her ear as she hurried towards the exit; her eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Even though it had been a year, people still stared. The looked at her like she was the killer herself.

"EM! WAIT UP! HEY!" She wheeled around and saw Audrey pacing to catch up to her. Following her were Brooke who was holding hands with Stavo while he stared at her lovingly and Noah who was wearing some sort of headgear with a camera pointed ahead.

"Hey," Audrey said softly and slipped her fingers gently into Emma's hand, intertwining it with hers. They were so warm and soft against hers like she was holding a feather. Audrey's touches were always that way. Tender and yet she felt so secure in them. _To kill with someone. Now that's a real bond isn't it? You'll know. You killed with Audrey._ The words played through her head and the memories made her wince reflexively. Maybe Kieran was right; the reason she was so close to Audrey was because they had killed together. Perhaps this was the unspoken bond she felt with shorter girl.

"Em, hey come back to me," Audrey whispered against her ear and Emma broke out of her thoughts. She smiled and tightened her grip around Audrey's hand as Noah caught up to them.

"It's gonna be the big G this year guys. And by big G I mean graduation not the Gravitational Constant." Noah laughed at his own joke and Audrey rolled her eyes. "Gee, we never would have guessed," she huffed and Brooke giggled.

"Ok ok it's not my fault you guys are so stupendously dull," Noah said, while adjusting the camera on his glasses.

"Speaking of stupendously dull, what's the deal with that goofy thing on your head anyway?" Brooke said, poking his side.

"This, my friends, is for our Graduation montage. I will have this camera running the entire year and by the end of it, I will hand the footage to Maestro Audrey Jensen," he curtseyed while Audrey flipped him off, leaning further into Emma so their shoulders brushed. "And she will edit it into movie magic. We may have had a shit couple of years but I want us to remember the good times we had this year and take these with us to college instead of…" He trailed off because he didn't need to complete. The same thought was running through all of their heads. The ones they loved all gutted mercilessly at the hands of someone they thought was their friend. Someone Emma thought she loved.

"Oh hey," she shook her golden tresses and looked up at the familiar figure of Cattelya walking out from the opposite side of the quad where they were standing. She waved to get the girl's attention whose eyes were fixed on the ground; like she was avoiding everyone's gaze too.

"Cat-" a hand firmly came over her mouth and shushed her.

"Emma are you insane!?" Brooke glared at her while the rest of them had the same look of bemusement on their face that Emma currently housed.

"What?!" Emma frowned and pulled away from Brooke.

"Emma, that's Cattelya James. _The_ Cattelya James." She stepped her foot trying to make a point all of them were missing.

"Noah not even you?" She shook her head disappointingly and continued. "They say she killed a man when she was just nine years old. She was in juvy till this year. She got released and of course she was gonna come to the only town with a rap sheet bloodier than hers. If I had it my way, I'll throw her out of town right now, before she thinks it would be a great idea to start the killing spree again." Brooke said through gritted teeth and moved further into Stavo who wrapped his arm around her.

"Don't worry babe, she won't hurt you I promise," Stavo nodded and narrowed his eyes at Cattelya, who quickly scuttled past the hoards of people.

 _But why did she save me then?_ Emma's head started flooding with questions as the girl briefly looked up and made eye contact with Emma; her eyes fixated on hers like she understood exactly what Emma was thinking. But then, she looked down again and disappeared towards the other side of the building.

Emma and Audrey were alone now. Emma was leaning against a tree and Audrey's head was in her lap. She absent-mindedly brushed the smooth black hair with her fingers and stared off into distance. Part of her felt Kieran was going right into her view from the parking area; his smirk and extensively long hair from the front. Like Cattelya's hair.

"Hey," Audrey said as she touched Emma's chin lightly, "You seem a million miles away. What's on your mind?"

Emma thought for a minute before looking down at the smaller girls whose brows were furrowed with concern. She traced the lines on her forehead with her fingers and smiled. "Just thinking about Will." She lied and Audrey immediately shook her head.

"Emma, I know you're lying. The hair twirl thing remember?" She pointed out and Emma realized her other hand had been twisting a strand of hair.

"I can almost imagine Kieran walking up to us. I feel like he is about to come out from a corner every single time." She sighed and Audrey raised her head from Emma's lap and hoisted herself on her elbows.

"He's in jail, Emma. Life without parole. There is nothing he can do to hurt you now." She said lifting a hand and lightly pushing Emma's hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Emma smiled and leaned into the touch as Kieran's words about the bond between two killers played through her mind in a painful loop.

"It's ok if you want to cancel movie night, Em. It's Will's anniversary, I understand." Audrey squeezed Emma's shoulder as she and the rest of the group began heading towards their homes.

"Yeah…but I'll see you tonight right?" The pleading look in her eyes was enough to make Audrey nod and lean forward to press a light kiss to her cheek. "What are best friends for?" She smiled and all of them bid each other farewell.

Emma had mentioned earlier her mother wanted to drive her home today so none of them offered her a ride. She waited in the lot which started to get emptier and emptier until she was the only one left. Emma delayed another ten minutes before huffing and calling her mom.

She was welcomed by the loud shrieking and sentimental apologies from her mother who had been over-working herself so much that she forgot she had to pick Emma. Emma told her to stay put and that she'll walk home, which even though she did not want to; she could tell how tired her mother was from her voice. They exchanged goodbyes and Emma started walking out of the parking lot.

And just like that it started to rain without warning. The water poured down with vengeance as Emma quickened her pace. It grew louder and harder by each second like it wanted to wipe out the entire city and as much as Emma wanted to stop, her demons had got the better of her. She only felt safe in the locked room and now barred windows of her house

She looked around after every two seconds, her hand tightly clutching the pepper spray she always carried in her bag now.

A car turned the corner and Emma's grip tightened on the spray. It passed her and then stopped. Her breath caught in her chest as she remained rooted on spot. The black impala reversed and stopped next to her and rolled down its window.

"Need a ride?" Cattelya said over the roar of the torrent.

"N-No thanks I'm fine!" Emma nodded a little too excessively as she held the pepper spray at the brim of her bag.

"Emma, it's raining. You'll get sick." The girl pressed further and Emma shook her head. "Please let me drive you."

The crackle of the lightning caused Emma to jump slightly. She hated thunderstorms. Very reluctantly, she agreed.

The sat in silence as the car jostled forward until Cattelya extended her hand and Emma pressed herself into the car door as much as she could. The gesture was not missed by the taller girl who grabbed the towel from behind and handed into to Emma. "Here."

Hesitantly, Emma's hands gripped the soft linen and she mumbled a thank you as she started to shake the towel against her hair.

"Did I do something to offend you? You're acting a bit…odd." The brown eyes moved off the road for a little while to catch Emma's somewhat pale face. _Yeah you murdered somebody that's what you did._

"Just an off day." She lied and Cattelya agreed. "Tell me about it."

"What happened to you?" This time it was Emma's turn to press. After all Kieran and Piper had been nice to her as well and yet their pasts were unknown to her. With this girl, she had an upper hand. She knew what she had done and she was going to be the intrusive asshole she was so clearly dreading earlier today.

"Just people. Staring. I carry the shadows of my past too." The taller girl sighed and turned the car towards the road Emma pointed out.

"Why'd you move to Lakewood?" Emma blurted. She wanted to know now. The intrusive and slight harshness of her tone threw Cattelya off a little and she stared at the road ahead trying to form her sentences before responding.

"My parents died. My uncles is my only legal guardian so I sort of had to move." She shrugged and even though Emma wanted to sympathize she couldn't help but compare the similarities between the girl next to her and the boy she thought she loved.

"How did they die?" Emma inquired. Her mind was clouded with the need to know now.

"Don't you think that's a little bit too personal for our second conversation?" Cattelya coughed and quirked an eyebrow, her lips drawing into a single line.

"Sorry" The green-eyed girl said pointedly. With no feeling of guilt covering her voice.

"Well that's me." She made her stop the car an entire street behind and exited it. She walked forward with the same question burning through her mind. It was screaming at her, trying to burst out of her.

Which it did and she turned around causing the wheels that were about to be set into forward motion, to stop with a jolt.

"Did you really kill someone?" It came out more as a shout than she had originally intended.

Without a hint of hesitation, Cattelya nodded. "Yes." She cracked a smile and raised her window again before quickly pulling it down. "Oh and Emma, you know the picture of your house and house number was in the paper and everything right?

Emma's blood got cold as Cattelya sped off without another word. She waited a little longer to make sure she wasn't going to be jumped before heading back into the safety of her own house.

* * *

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think so far!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok I know you guys aren't a fan of the super slow updates but please bear with me. The force is not strong with me at all when it comes to writing. Anyhoo I hope you enjoy. Please leave reviews if you like this story because that is literally the motivational fuel that makes me write more. Also I'm definitely looking for betas because God knows how long it takes me to post a chapter, if I had to read it as well y'all would be waiting for months (read: years)**

 **Episode 2: Short Comings**

Laughter filled the air as she ran after the flowing golden hair glowing brighter than the daffodils surrounding them. "Audrey, come on!" The little girl turned around and caught her hands in her own. The sea-green eyes beamed with innocence and brightness.

Then, as if a switch had been turned off, they were thrown into a dimly lit room. The girl was suddenly taller and her features were far more defined. "Stay with me, Audrey. Please." Emma Duval begged as she pressed hard at Audrey's chest. She didn't realize she was bleeding until she felt the pull of the blade, sucking the air out of her lungs as it punctured through.

"NO!" Emma shrieked, falling to the ground and breaking down before her. Audrey wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and tell her it was ok but no sound came. She extended her hand and tried to reach out to Emma who was getting further and further away. Then Audrey saw it. Ghostface was standing behind Emma and in what seemed like a painfully slow-motion second, he jammed his blade into her throat and sliced it. Blood gushed from Emma's jugular as she began to choke on the thick fluid. Her eyes never leaving Audrey's.

Frozen with fear, Audrey felt herself collapse. She tried to scream and reach forward to Emma but nothing happened. She had to watch the light leave Emma's eyes. Emma's eyes that held the most intense gaze she had ever felt. Those eyes she's found herself getting lost into more and more each day. She gravitated around them and now they were glassy and staring at the abyss of darkness she had not seen.

"You did this, Audrey." The killer laughed and pulled off his mask.

No

NO NO NO IT CAN'T BE.

She was staring at her own face which was darker and more crooked than she thought it to be capable of. "You killed her." The killer Audrey smirked and ran her fingers over the blade soaked with Emma's blood.

"YOU KILLED HER AUDREY!"

"YOU KILLED HER AUDREY!"

"YOU KILLED HER AUDREY!"

* * *

"Hey, hey Audrey! Wake up!" Emma coaxed the curled up figure before her. Audrey was hunched into a tight ball, whimpering. The soft noises of tortured pain were enough to wake Emma from her light slumber. She scooted closer to the smaller girl and pulled her in as she pushed the sweat-matted hair from Audrey's forehead.

"I didn't mean to kill you, Emma. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Audrey mumbled still deep in sleep; warm patches of wetness starting to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Hey. No, Audrey." The blonde firmly grasped Audrey's head in her hands and began rubbing circles around her cheek with the pad of her thumb. "I'm right here Audrey."

The blue eyes flew open and after the initial need to pull away, they found the green pair staring intensely at her. They secured her in their gravity again and Audrey felt more breathless than she did after the nightmare.

I loved you ok and you broke my heart! I loved you! I loved you! I loved you! The torrent of images from the barn were playing before her eyes and she quickly pulled her gaze from Emma.

"You saved my life, Audrey. So many times. I wouldn't be alive without you." Emma sighed and traced the Audrey's jaw with the tips of her fingers.

"Ye-Yeah but I wouldn't need to if I hadn't brought Piper to town in the first place." Audrey croaked, feeling a sharp lump form in her throat as she saw Emma's lifeless body in her mind again.

"She would have come anyway, Auds. Kieran was here too and Piper was going to come here eventually. It's not your fault." The blonde sighed and pressed a light kiss to the top of Audrey's head. "She played you like she played all of us. I'm just sorry I hurt you that bad."

"I'm sorry too." The brunette nodded and nuzzled into Emma's neck. After an hour of slumber, she gasped and woke up with a start. Emma was still sound asleep. She watched the light traces of pale moonlight caressing Emma's face in a soft glow. Out of instinct, her hand reached forward and she brushed the tips of her fingers against the blonde's face.

I loved you.

Audrey thought of the confession and how they never talked about it. Not that Audrey wanted to talk about it. Ever since the murders, both of them had been trying to forget everything that had happened in the past. One night, when the pain was too much and Emma had a little too much to drink she had slurred the words "I'm sorry I didn't know you were in love with me. If I did…" And then she was asleep. The brunette did not want to know what that 'if I did' meant. She had spent years trying to bury her unrequited love for Emma and she did not have the energy to ask the blonde what she had meant, only to be crushed a second time. She was scared of losing Emma again. Without her, Audrey wouldn't be able to survive this. Her eyes drifted over to the sharp features of Emma's face and absent-mindedly she touched the small jagged scar that rested on the far side of the blonde's forehead. It was usually covered with the golden tresses and Audrey never understood why. It made her even more beautiful if that was possible. She traced her finger across the length of the scar tissue and leaned forth pressing a feathery kiss to it. Emma didn't wake up, in fact she seemed more peaceful than she had in months.

Smiling, the small girl got up and scribbled Emma a small note, before leaving the room

* * *

"So I did some digging on this Cattelya James." Noah was hunched over his computer and typing furiously at the keys of his keyboard. His face was contorted into a goofy expression as he hunched over to stare at his laptop screen. Audrey was leaning down on the sofa beside him and staring at the webpages Noah kept opening. Her eyes drifted to the Polaroid of Noah and Zoe for a little while.

"Any relations to the James family?" She coughed to clear the lump in her throat.

"Not really, although that is what half the school assumes." Noah shook his head. "She is James with Y. So basically JaYmes." He grimaced at the thought of anyone even having the last name as the infamous murderer. "Remember? We've already researched the James family tree. If there was another murderer on there, we would have known."

That was the prime reason none of them had initially reacted when Brooke mentioned her full name. Although Noah did say he'd look into her just to be safe. Audrey remembered pouring over years and years of newspapers all the way down to the James' estate 1912 fire that demolished most of their family.

"Had to be sure." Audrey sighed and sat down on the arm rest. "So whatcha find anyway?"

"Well most of the information about the case is closed but it says she killed a man with a kitchen knife when she was nine years old. And then she was in juvy until recently they paroled her for good behavior." He ran a hand through his hair, as his eyes widened slightly. "Apparently, she saved one of the guard's life hmm." A small smile crept across his lips that Audrey knew far too well.

"Noah…no…" She warned him, already aware of his intentions.

"What?" He said, grinning innocently.

"I know what you're thinking and it will be a horrible idea to ask her on your show." She sighed and flicked his nose.

"Come on! The Morgue will finally be back in business, this is a great story!" He gasped and jumped a bit excitedly on his seat.

"I thought this year was about leaving behind the past and making new memories?" Audrey could feel the 'Zoe' card coming and if he used it, she'd be guilt-tripped into accepting this stupid idea.

"Yeah but this show meant a lot to Zoe and she meant a lot to me" His eyes dimmed a little and the girl shook her head knowingly. "Sure, go ahead. She doesn't look much of a talker though."

"She'll talk if she doesn't want to be constantly harassed by people for having the same last name as Brandon James." He rubbed his hands gleefully, with a plan already coursing through his mind.

* * *

Emma was hunched over the psychology book when she felt a sudden pinch on the back of her neck. She rubbed the area and pulled out a small piece of paper that was clinging to her hair. Rolling it out, the words 'Serial Kisser' stared back at her. Ever since Kieran being the serial killer had become common knowledge, the kids at her school had coined the term 'serial kisser' to remind her every day of the biggest mistake of her entire existence.

She crumpled the paper and threw it on the floor as she tried to concentrate on the words before her.

"Hey Em," the soothing voice came from beside her and her lips curled into an instant smile. She looked up at the slightly scrunched up nose and squinty eyes of Audrey who looked worried but so endearing that Emma felt the earlier debacle slip into nothingness. She smiled wholeheartedly at her best friend.

"Hey Auds," she replied and grabbed Audrey's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. The hand stiffened slightly before relaxing into Emma's grip as flashes of the brunette's dream played before her. Emma didn't notice.

"Ugh stop staring at each other so lovingly, you're making me nostalgic," Noah grumbled as he took his seat in front of Audrey who pulled her hand away and looked ahead.

The blonde brows furrowed slightly but she shrugged and turned back to her book. They were soon joined by Brooke whose arms were draped around Stavo's waist and her head rested atop his shoulder. It seemed like nowadays she wouldn't go anywhere without him. This was her method of coping with everything she had lost. Jake. Her father. Even her mother refused to come back. Brooke was more alone than the rest of them. Everyone else still had their parents but all Brooke had was Stavo and what was now, the Lakewood four.

"Oh my God." Noah's voice filled the room as a sudden hush fell over. It was like someone had turned the heat up inside Emma's body; she could almost hear the sizzling of her blood boiling within her veins as she saw Kristin Lang walk through the doorway.

There were excited shouts of 'Welcome Back' and 'We've missed you, Miss Lang' followed by some people getting up and surrounding her while holding copies of her book. 'The Madness of Two' was after all a best-selling novel. Based on the Lakewood murders, the story initially started off with the relationship between Emma and Piper and how the betrayal of their mother led to the massacres. Then it followed Emma and Audrey's delusional state which led to the second killing spree. All in all, the book was the epitome of what is known as victim-blaming.

Emma and her friends sat stiffly in their chairs with nothing but hatred contorting their faces. After all, there was barely a good word about any of them in the book.

Noah, the one who claims to know everything and is a survivor only because he picks people weaker than himself to be with. Like Riley. Or Zoe.

Brooke, the one who was so unlovable that people preferred to be dead than be with her.

Audrey, the immature, self-absorbed adolescent who was so whiny that she brought a serial killer to town in order to get close to a girl.

And Emma, the self-serving, manipulative girl who might as well have been holding the knife herself. She and her mother were the actual abusers and Piper was simply a victim of circumstance while Kieran was collateral damage.

Disgusted, Emma looked down at her book and ignored Miss Lang as she reintroduced herself. Now that she was back from her book tour, she'll be teaching again. Brooke's face had lost its colour; in fact they were all pale with anger. Audrey's fist were clenched to the point that all you could see was milky white skin. Intuitively, Emma reached forward and lightly touched the skin over those protruding knuckles and watched as they slackened under her touch. The fingers uncoiled and lightly brushed along hers as they filled the spaces in between and held her hand in a warm embrace. Audrey smiled and Emma forgot to breathe for a moment. It was so rare seeing her friend smile now.

The class passed in a painful daze. Emma had zoned out of it completely. Her mind took her back to how things were before this. She would be cuddled into Will's arms right now and they'll be joking about how Freud basically said we had daddy issues. Her mind still felt uneasy; this memory won't bring her the comfort she so desperately sought. She drifted further back and this time she was giggling as the small brunette tried to blow the hair off her forehead while she furrowed her eyebrows and tried to stare at the mess of hair resting firmly on her head. She brushed the hair back and giggled further while Audrey smiled like she was glad for eliciting this sound from the taller girl.

"Day dreaming about your killer boyfriend?" The sneering voice against her ear made her shudder and her eyes met the cruel smirk rested on the guy she knew as Matt; who had previously tried to prank her. He walked past her and slightly tripped over Brooke's outstretched leg. Shooting her a dirty look, which she returned with a challenging smirk, he went up to Miss Lang and told her how much he admired her work and honesty. Emma barely remembers the boy. He was a member of the basketball team but never good friends with Will so she rarely saw him. They had exchanged smiles in classrooms if their eyes met but she had never done anything mean to the raven haired boy to deserve this form of torture.

Emma jumped off her seat the second the bell rang. The room felt like it was about to collapse in on her and she found it hard to breathe. Then it happened; what she had been dreading the minute Kristin Lang stepped into the classroom.

"Emma, I'd like to have a word with you before you leave." The pippy voice caused her to groan and submissively turn around.

"Look Emma, about the boo-" Miss Lang began but the blonde cut her off. "Save it, Miss Lang."

"It was nothing personal. The book is pure business I've mentioned that the work is semi-fictious." She tried again and at this point the green eyes were clouded with fury. Emma was finding it hard to control herself at this point, her fists clenched firmly at her sides as she shot the brunette a sour look.

"Yes, I read the fine-print." She said bitterly, causing the older woman to sigh. "I just stated things the way I saw them. If your mothe-" It was like a flash. One second, Miss Lang was about to say something and the next, she was reeling over the desk, with her hand clutching her jaw. Emma looked down at her own hands which had been coiled into fists. A sharp pain ran through one of these clenched hands and she came to the conclusion she had punched the woman before her. No joy, no sorrow, nothing. She felt nothing.

Emma left the room, knowing full well there would be consequences of what she had done. But she didn't care. In that moment, nothing mattered to her but the adrenaline that was coursing through her body and causing her heart to beat like a small animal trying to claw out of its cage. She could hear the wild thrum in her ears and felt her body grow hotter, while drawing in breaths became harder. It seemed as if she was about to collapse until she felt strong arms drape around her waist and a light breath, whisper against her ear.

"Shhh, it's ok. I've got you." Audrey cooed and rubbed circles into Emma's stomach and back, an action she had repeated so many times before.

The first time Emma had a panic attack was in her room. She was sitting calmly and taking to Audrey when her breath hitched in her throat all of a sudden and Audrey was baffled and unsure of what to do. The short girl was running around frantically; holding Emma, getting her a blanket, turning on the AC. Emma was a mess and so was Audrey.

The second time Emma had a panic attack they were sitting in Audrey's room and talking about their colleges and suddenly the blonde fell to the floor in a struggling fit to breath. This time Audrey had researched a lot about panic attacks. She tried different things; having Emma count her fingers and steady her breath with each count, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead, making Emma jump in rhythm with her. Emma got better after a little hit and trial.

The third time Emma had a panic attack was in the middle of the classroom when Mr. Halter was teaching World History. She thought she saw Kieran walk into class and screamed loudly, trying to run to the end of the room and claw through the walls. Audrey was quick to reach over and pull Emma into herself. She placed her lips against Emma's ears and whispered soothing words while rubbing circles on her back. She pushed the blonde hair back to reveal the short scar to herself and placed the gentlest kiss Emma had ever received, over it. Tranquility washed over her instantly and she drew further into the girl whose voice was like honey and her kisses like feathers.

"You ok?" Audrey whispered as Emma's breathing became less erratic. The blonde girl merely nodded as she turned around and burrowed her face into the crook of Audrey's neck. The soft scent of cocoa butter and homemade cakes calmed her nerves even further. They stayed in the same position for a long while until they heard a coughing sound from beside them. Emma pulled away and looked at Noah, flashing them a smile of knowing something they were unaware of.

"Brooke's having a party at her house to forget the fact that we all just saw, and I'm quoting her here," he held his hands and used his fingers to make air-quotes, "Bitchistin McBitchlang."

It was a horrible name yet the raven-haired girl threw her head back and released a hearty laugh. Emma could not not react to it. She watched the soft wrinkles of Audrey's eyes and smiled, but at the same time, a pang tugged her stomach because she had not been the one to make Audrey laugh like that.

"Don't blow her off. Besides we could all use the alcoholic distraction," he shrugged, knocking Emma out of her trance. They both agreed and bid each other farewell for day but Audrey didn't leave until Emma had gotten into her mother's car because she knew the last time Emma had to walk back home in the rain and Emma hated thunder. The taller girl had chosen not to let Audrey know of the car ride she had with Cattelya, because she knew that the blue eyes would darken and the soft forehead would crease with concern over Emma once again. She could not let that happen anymore. She would be the one to protect Audrey this time.

 **A/N: Hooo boi I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long 2016 has not been my year at all. I've written the rest of the chapters and will post them weekly so you guys don't have to wait around for me to finish anymore. Ok I love you all SORRY FOR THE SUPER DUPER LONG WAIT BUT HERE YOU GO.**


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